From the beginning of the 19th century the Salvesen family
owned several commercial enterprises in their native Norway, including
shares in a number of ships. In 1843 Johan Theodor Salvesen set up in
business as a shipbroker at Grangemouth, a few miles west of Edinburgh
and three years later opened another office at Leith. In 1851 his brother,
Christian, left Norway to join him in Scotland and was given responsibility
for the Leith office.
At the time Christian joined the company, the Leith office was being
operated jointly with George Turnbull as Turnbull, Salvesen and Company.
Their main trade involved the export of coal and the import of timber.
In 1872, the partnership with Turnbull ended and Christian Salvesen and
Co. was formed.
Meanwhile, Johan concentrated on the Grangemouth office and, in 1853,
withdrew completely from the Leith business. Eventually, the company
started at Grangemouth passed to the control of F.T. Everard.
In 1864 the Leith-based business, under the management of Christian Salvesen,
became agents for Norwegian whale oil and in 1879 the steamship Marna
(1879 - 1,027gt) was acquired for use oil a regular Leith to Norway service.
To allow access to the lucrative Norwegian coastal trades, the ship flew
the Norwegian flag, even though Christian Salvesen had become a British
citizen in 1857. So regular was this Norwegian trade that the route became
a liner service in 1886. It was strengthened in 1928 by the acquisition
of the Aberdeen-based Glen Line of John Cook and Son who had three ships
employed in the Scotland Norway trade, and in the 1950s UK west coast
ports were also served with direct loadings to Norway.
Other liner services were tried with varying degrees of success. These
included services to the Mediterranean and Black Sea but were relatively
short lived. Except for these various liner services, the rest of the
Salvesen fleet was engaged in tramp trades.
Except for the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II, the Norwegian
liner route was operated successfully until 1971. The last vessels employed
on this liner route were Tolsta and Laksa (both 1960 - 1,323gt) and were
both sold to John Stewart & Co. and renamed Yewglen and Yewkyle respectively
when the route closed.
Salvesen's association with the importation of whale oil encouraged the
company to set up a land-based whaling station at Olna in the Shetland
Isles in 1904 where whale catchers were based until the station was closed
in 1929. In 1907, the company had started Antarctic whaling. Initially
a base was established in the Falkland Islands but was soon relocated
to
Leith Harbour, South Georgia, to be nearer the whaling grounds. Floating
factory ships were acquired to operate from the new base, which in turn
was serviced by supply ships drawn from the company's tramp ship fleet.
The whole operation was managed by the newly formed South Georgia Company.
By 1914, Salvesen's whaling fleet consisted of two factory ships, five
supply ships and 18 whale catchers.
The introduction of stern ramps on factory ships in the late 1920s enabled
the whale carcasses to be hauled up onto the deck for cutting up, before
then, harpooned whales were dissected alongside the vessels. Salvesen's
first factory ships to be fitted with stem ramps were Salvestria (1913
- 11,938gt) and Sourabaya (1915 - 10,107gt). Many of the factory ships
were converted
liners. The aforementioned pair were formerly Royal
Mail Steam Packet Company's Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire respectively. Other converted
liners which found their way into Salvesen's ownership were the former
White Star vessels Runic (1900 - 13,801gt) and Regina (1918 - 16,289gt).
On conversion, Runic was renamed New Sevilla but the planned conversion
of Regina to Westernland was dropped and she was broken up in 1947.

World War I Losses

Name

Built

Tons

Lost

Details of Loss

Glitra

1882

866

29.10.1914

Scuttled by U-boat U 17 off Norway

Ailsa

1884

902

18.06.1915

Scuttled by U-boat off Scotland

Horatio

1892

3,239

11.03.1916

Sank in Leith Harbour, 5 Georgia

Wavelet

1905

2,992

27.08.1916

Wrecked off Norway

Katherine

1904

2,926

22.02.1917

Captured by raider Moewe

Coronda

1892

2,733

13.03.1917

Torpedoed off Ireland

Cadmus

1911

1,879

18.10.1917

Torpedoed in North Sea

Ardandearg

1895

3,237

14.03.1918

Torpedoed off Malta

John O. Scott

1906

1,235

18.09.1918

Torpedoed off Cornwall

The whale catcher Hirpa was wrecked off Scotland in
1918 and Marna (1883 - 931), operated by a subsidiary company, was
torpedoed in the North Sea on 12.03.1917.

During the depression of the 1930s, several whaling competitors were
taken over, so by 1939 a substantial whaling fleet was in operation.
It consisted
of at least five factory ships, four dedicated support vessels and over
60 catching vessels. During World War II many of the whale catchers were
pressed into naval service, while the factory ships were used as tankers
and heavy lift vessels.
In 1941, the Southern Whaling Company was purchased from Unilever when
they ceased whaling. This increased Salvesen's fleet by two factory ships
and 15 whale catchers. However, war losses were considerable all the 1939
factory ships were lost during the conflict, as well as half the catchers
and support ships. Limited whaling took place between 1939 and 1941, while
no expeditions were rnade until the end of hostilities.
The increased competition and the decline in the number of whales after
the war meant commercial whaling was becoming less viable. Expeditions
were still mounted but with only limited success. In 1963, the company
ended whaling operations and the factory ships were sold. The last one,
Southern Harvester (1946 - 15,364gt), was bought by the Japanese who
wanted her whale quotas. The vessel was resold twice but never used again
and
was broken up in 1971. Of the company's 38 whale catchers, 12 were sold,
16 scrapped and the remainder abandoned at the South Georgia base.

Following the company's withdrawal from whaling, new trading activities
were pursued. This led the company to adapt the surplus Algerine class
minesweeper, HMS Felicity (1944 - 1,241gr, built as HMCS Cappercliff
for use as a fishing vessel under the name Fairfee. The fitting of a
factory
ship stern ramp and refrigeration equipment produced the world's first
combined freezer/stern trawler. After five years of experimentation,
she was laid up in 1952 but was followed by three purpose-built vessels:
Fairtry (1954 - 2,605gt), Fairtry II (1959 - 2,857gt) and Fairtry III
(1960 - 12,857gt). However, due to increased competition, in part from
subsidised Eastern
Bloc fleets, the company were forced to withdraw all three vessels by
1968. It therefore founded another business: its shore based freezer
plants.
Although the stern trawlers had gone, Salvesens still owned several other
fishing fleets in Britain, Canada, Peru and Ireland. These fleets contained
over 70 vessels and mainly served the fish meal trade. The British flagged
fleet produced another innovative development with the introduction of
Semla (1967 - 249gt), the UK's first purse seiner net fishing vessel.
However, the fishing vessel operations gradually declined. The Peruvian
fleet
was nationalised and other fleets sold off.

Having been involved in trawler operations, it was a logical step for
Salvesen to operate former trawlers as standby safety ships when the
offshore oil industry began to expand. A joint venture with Boston Deep
Sea Fisheries, Safetyships Ltd. was started and this went on to become
the wholly owned subsidiary Salvesen Offshore Services. More ships were
acquired for this business: stern trawlers were converted to survey ships,
former ferries became pollution control vessels and even an old coastal
tanker was converted into an oil recovery vessel. The first of two drilling
ships was commissioned in 1974, but by 1980 both had been sold.

Salvesen's tramp services had prospered, with Norwegian, Baltic and
Mediterranean services being particularly profitable. Regular services
to Malta and Alexandria were run for some years prior to 1914. At the
start of World War I, the company owned eight tramp ships, three of which
were sold and three of which were lost. The doubtful distinction of owning
the first British merchant ship lost in World War I belongs to Salvesen.
Glitra (1910 - 2,925gt) was sunk by U-17 on 20 October 1914 off the
Norwegian coast.
During Wold War I, 20 ships were purchased, six of which were lost. After
World War I no fleet replacement programme was undertaken. Instead, many
vessels were sold at the extremely high prices being offered during the
short lived postwar shipping boom. During the slump that followed, Salvesen
was able to buy up to date ships to modernise its fleet. In 1934, the
company took advantage of low building rates and ordered Saganaga (1935
- 5,452gt), the company's first newly built cargo ship for 40 years.

Of the ten ships in the tramping fleet at the outbreak of World War
II, seven were lost and three sold by early 1943 leaving the fleet devoid
of tramp ships for the rest of the war. Immediately after World War II,
to make up the shortage of vessels, Culrain (1941 - 6,765gt, ex- Empire
Darwin), Culross (1946 - 7,331gt, ex- Empire Antiqua), Struan (1942
- 2,893gt, ex- Empire Patriot) and Cutler (1941 - 7,030gt, ex- Empire
Rhodes) were
purchased from the Ministry of War Transport.

World War II Losses

Name

Built

Tons

Lost

Details of Loss

Glen Farg

1937

876

04.10.1939

Torpedoed off Northern Scotland

Brandon

1917

6,665

08.12.1939

Torpedoed off Lands End

Giralda

1924

2,178

30.01.1940

Bombed off Orkney

Albuera

1921

3,477

24.06.1940

Sunk by E-boat in English Channel

Salvestria

1913

11,938

27.07.1940

Sunk by mine off Scotland

New Sevilla

1900

13,081

20.09.1940

Torpedoed off Malin Head

Shekatika

1936

5,548

18.10.1940

Torpedoed off Rockall

Stombus

1900

6,549

30.10.1940

Mined in Bristol Channel

Sirikishna

1936

5,458

24.02.1941

Torpedoed North Atlantic

Peder Bogen

1925

9,741

23.03.1942

Torpedoed North Atlantic

Saganaga

1935

5,452

05.09.1942

Torpedoed off Newfoundland

Southern Empress

1914

12,398

13.10.1942

Torpedoed North Atlantic

Sourabaya

1915

10,107

27.10.1942

Torpedoed North Atlantic

Fintra

1918

2,089

23.02.1943

Torpedoed off North Africa

Southern Princess

1915

12,156

17.03.1943

Torpedoed North Atlantic

Six whale catchers were lost in Royal Naval service
and three whilst serving with the Russian Navy. Several more considered
not worth refitting after wartime service.

However, no more ships entered the fleet until the newly
built 8,995gt Saldanha was acquired in 1959. So successful was this vessel
that five similar vessels were added to the fleet over the next four
years. These ships remained in the fleet until the early 1970s and were
employed on liner charters or on the short-lived liner service to North
America. The bulk carrier Inverleith (1961 - 15,628gt) entered the fleet
in 1966.

In 1964 the company re-entered the coastal trade when another Leith-based
company, A.E. Henry and MacGregor and its fleet of five ships, was acquired.
Founded in 1887 as shipbrokers, Henry and MacGregor began ship owning
in 1907 after buying the puffer Mayflower (1882 - 69gt) for short voyages.
Later vessels were employed in the Forth-South Coast coal trade. Voyages
undertaken by A.E. Henry and MacGregor's ships became more varied, including
Baltic and Great Lakes destination when not carrying coal. This new excursion
into the coal trades led Salvesen to construct a number of small bulk
carriers suitable for the trade. Two colliers were subsequently sold
to the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) but left under Salvesen
management. Over the next few years other CEGB vessels were transferred
to Salvesen management.
Christian Salvesen withdrew from shipping related activities in 1989.
The company's colliers were sold to A/S Jebsen, of Norway, who also took
over the management of the CEGB's super colliers. throughout its history
the company has shown a remarkable talent for adapting to the prevailing
trading conditions of the time and developing new businesses both at
sea and ashore. The company's landbased activities, many of which are
still being carried out, encompass the refrigeration and distribution
trades as well as construction.

Many thanks to Henk Jungerius and Ted Finch for his assistance in
collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various
sources. This is not an
all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide. If you would like
to know more about a vessel, visit the Ship
Descriptions (onsite) or Immigrant
Shipweb site.

built by Shipbuilding Corp., Newcastle | ex- Empire
Antigua built for Ministry of War Transport, 1946 purchased not renamed
later that year renamed Culross, 1958 laid up, 1960 sold to Cia Nav.
Comercio Apolo, Beitut renamed Akastos, 1966 sold to Agenor Shipping
Co., Cyprus not renamed, 1967 sold same name, 1968 scrapped at Hamburg.

built by C.S. Swan & Hunter, Newcastle | ex- Soldier
Prince, 1896 purchased from Prince
Line renamed Folda, 1916 sold to Franco British S.S. Co., London
not renamed, 1920 sold to Anglo Celtic Shipping Co., London renamed
City of Montdidier, 1922 sold to Rederi A/B Majviken, Gothenburg
renamed Maja, 4th July 1936 wrecked at Trysunda.

built by S.P. Austin & Son, Sunderland | 1915 sold
to Lowlands Steam Shipping Co., Newcastle not renamed later that
year renamed Lowmount, 1916 sold to A. Capel, Newcastle same name,
7th May 1917 mined and sunk near Lab LV.

built by Harvey & Co., Hayle | ex- Ramleh, 1904 purchased
from Branckclow S.S. Co., Liverpool not renamed, 1916 sold to A.
Lazarus, London same name, 1917 sold to Petersen & Co., London not
renamed, 24th Sept. 1918 beached after collision with steamer NORD
AMERIKA and became a total loss.

built by W. Harkness & Son, Middlesborough | Launched
as War Tees for Shipping Controller, ex- Goodwill of Bristol 1920,
1929 purchased from Main Collery Co., Bristol renamed Glen Tilt,
1942 sold to Culliforf & Clark, London not renamed, 12th Dec.1942
torpedoed and sunk by German E boat near Lowestoft.

built by J. Readhead & Sons Ltd., South Shields |
Norwegian Flag, March 1913 stranded near Peterhead and sold as she
lay to Grangemouth Dockyard, salvaged and repaired, sold to Richard & Berthe,
Morlaix renamed Cap Mazagan, 1916 sold to F. Lecouvre, Morlaix not
renamed, 1st Oct.1916 captured and sunk by German submarine U.38
near Longships.

795

Otra (2)

1957

built by Geo. Brown & Co. (Marine), Greenock | 1968
sold to Greece renamed Themistocles, 1975 sold to Cyprus same name,
1978 sold same name, 1st January 1982 ran ashore, refloated and laid
up, 1983 scrapped.